Betta Gender - please help indentify

New to the hobby, my gf and I just got our first ever tank, a 15g which is quite heavily planted tank.

We bought 4 'female' Bettas from PetsAtHome in the UK.

I've read a lot of threads similar to this and think maybe one of them is a PK male. Would very much appreciate the opinions of those who have more experience.

I guess the photo will be most helpful, but here are the things that make me wonder:
- Quite regular flaring and sometimes chasing other bettas, I know females do this too, they have lots of places to hide and it tends to be over quickly
- Quite large gill covers which look a bit like they go round underneath a little, not sure if it is truly a beard
- Long pointed anal fin (compared to our other females)
- Long pectoral fins (sorry couldn't get these in the photo, one is a bit shorter than the other, maybe damaged before we got it)
- The strangest one: today a few white spots appeared on the glass, they look a bit like eggs? The betta in question is hanging around them but doesn't eat them, the others keep coming over and trying to eat them but get chased off.

Thank you very much for your help. We want to know if its a male as I guess we should take him back if so.

Looks a bit like a male plakat and sounds like it behaves like one, can you get a pic of it flaring?

As for the white spots, eggs are placed in a foamy bubble nest floating on the water so I doubt they are eggs if they are suck to the glass under water.

female bettas have a white ovipositor (egg laying tube), males have a dark one. Have a look under its belly and see if it has a white ovipositor.

the white things on the glass could be planaria but need a photo and better description

Im going with male also, Young PK's are hard to sex and quite often males get sold as females.

This male was sold to me as a female.




3 months latter.

Quite regular flaring and sometimes chasing other bettas

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Perfectly normal in a sorority tank.

Thank you all very much, such a quick response, it's a great community!

Nick that's a beautiful fish, and does look very similar to ours.

I will try to get a closer look for an ovipositor and a picture of him/her flaring just to be sure.

I will try to get a pic of the white spots too, hadn't heard of planaria to be honest.

I just got our first ever tank, a 15g which is quite heavily planted tank.

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We demand photos. LOL

joe_8102 said:

a few white spots appeared on the glass, they look a bit like eggs

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I'd say these white spots are snail eggs. Even if you didn't think you had snails...you might have gotten some that hitchhiked in the plants.

Thank you to everyone who responded, going with consensus that he was a male, and not wanting to take any risks we decided we couldn't keep him in the tank with the other 3 girls. As we don't have room for another tank we returned him to the store who were happy to take him, agreed he could be a male, and offered us a refund.

The tank now seems a lot more peaceful. Thanks again for your advice!